Thursday, June 26, 2014

Know your
music inside and out, down to the smallest sounds. By memorizing your music
fully, a composition which once seemed complex and foreign will still be all of that, but it will also become ingrained in your
psyche, and you will feel more confident in your own personal interpretation
and emotional reactions to the piece onstage.

LET
YOUR EMOTIONS DANCE

During home practice, use your mirror for more than
checking your bodylines and angles, “dancing” with nothing more than your own
facial expressions. There are a few ways to do this. Stand close to the mirror,
put your music on, and observe your own emotional reactions to the musical
piece you’ve selected.Alternately, you
could set up a camera or make a video on your phone.Though this exercise might seem unnatural or
forced at first, it will truly help you connect to the music emotionally, which
will help you to become a compelling and poignant performer to your audience.

THE
EYES HAVE IT

The eyes are the windows to the soul, and there
is no better way to connect with your
audience than using your eyes to communicate with them! In a smaller
performance space, making eye contact is much easier because the audience is in
very close proximity.

On a larger stage, where the crowd is farther
away, you can fake eye contact by selecting certain spots in the crow to beam
in, simulating direct eye contact. Though this may not seem genuine to you, it
will to the audience!

USE
PAUSES AND POSESFOR IMPACT

While choreographing
your performance piece or just practicing at home or in the studio, take cues from
the music itself, stopping and posing or just briefly pausing for a moment when
the music does.

Before you begin your performance (even in
practice) remind yourself to move slowly. Being onstage gives everyone and adrenalin rush, and
beginners –or those who are amped up before a show tend to rip around the stage
very quickly. Once you learn to control your nervous energy and reign in a
little, you’ll look relaxed and effortless, as though everything you are doing
comes naturally for you. This ease is usually learned…so drill yourself on the concept of moving slowly,
finishing each movement completely, pausing and posing, and letting your emotions
shine through your performance.

BE
VISIBLE

This
encompassesyour emotions, gestures,
make up and costuming!

First of all, as youplan your piece, start planning your costume
as well, and make sure it looks good under the lighting situationwhere you will be performing. Obviously, your
costume will fit and flatter you- if it doesn’t, start thinking about ways to
make it work…or using, making or buyinga differentone.Check with your show’s producer to see what
the backdrop will be like; you don’t want to wear a burgundy costume against a
burgundy backdrop!Once you know the
color, select a costume that will pop against your performance environment.

Use enough make up! You’ve heard me carry on
about this in the past, but it is imperative…otherwise, the audience won’t be
able to see-much less feel – the emotions you are portraying on stage.

Nope, this isn’t “cheating” it’s called entertaining.You’re setting up everything your body does,
so why would you stint on your emotions and facial expression? They are both
crucial to building a beautiful, professional-looking, polished performance.

BREATHE

Sounds crazy, but many of us hold our breath
when we are concentrating, and dancing involves a lot of concentration! Before you take the stage, remind yourself
to breathe- it will send oxygen to your entire body and give you stamina. Breathing into
your movements- for example, inhaling while lifting your arms, and exhaling as
you bring them down - will also give an airy, buoyant look to your dancing, as
well as make your physical gestures much more profound and emotional.

Last but not least, sometimes the context of a performance, just stopping to take a breath can be very profound.

BE
THE MUSIC

Above all, savor your piece when you are
dancing. Feel the connection to the music, and let the music pour through you,
body and soul. When you are dancing and truly letting the move you emotionally,
your performance will move the audience will, too!

Friday, June 6, 2014

Drum
solos are a huge part of belly dancing. The interaction between the drummer and
the dancer is exhilarating for audiences to witness because it's so exciting that sparks
practically fly from the stage.

Even though I was among the last
generation of Los Angeles dancers who “grew up” dancing with live music, it
took me a while to get the hang of what,
exactly was going on within the drum solos I was seeing-and often dancing to
onstage.As luck would have it, the
first drummer I ever worked with was Issam Houshan.Issam was an incredible tabla player years before he became internationally famous. As a
baby dancer, I naively thought all Arabic drummers would be just like him…but little
did I know, his magnificent playing spoiled me rotten!

Nearly twenty years later, we
are working together regularly again, having recently embarked upon our BaLAdi Tour, so named because we both
live in Los Angeles. It is amazing to teach and perform alongside him; to me,
it feels like coming home, because the way he plays is literally engrained into
my soul. Still, I learn something new from him every time we practice or do a
show. The only real difference between working with him in “back in the day” as
opposed to 2014 is that now I
understand all the ingredients that make a terrific drum solo!

The following thoughts and
ideas are things that Issam and I share in our workshops… whether you improvise
your drum solos or do choreography only, whether you're working with a live player or a recorded drum solo, try out some of these tips and see how
they work for you.

Identify
The Root Rhythm

Whether I’m planning choreography
to teach or having fun improvising onstage, I always identify the basic rhythm
that is being played at any particular time. Sometimes, when the drummer is
doing all sorts of fancy embellishments in the course of a solo, it might be a
little difficult to realize that what he’s going so crazy on is just plain old Maksoum (also known as Baladi) or the Greco-Turkish Chiftetelli.Listen carefully to the drum solo you’re
about to work with and note what each root rhythm is in its most basic form. If you don’t know your Masmoudi Kebir and Saudi from your Malfouf
or Samai, then it’s time to
learn…cause being able to discern the unique Arabic time signatures is the key
to an amazing drum solo!

Look For Repetition

Issam almost always repeats
each rhythmic pattern at least four times. Almost every drummer worth his or
her salt will do that too. The concept, in Issam’s own words, goes like this:

“First time, the dancer will hear that I’ve
done something new. Second time, she knows what to do to the new rhythm, and
third and fourth time, she nails it!”

Obviously, if you’re working with
a recorded-as opposed to live- drum solo, you’ll listen to the track over and over
so you’ll be able to nail it every time! But it helps to know this idea when
you’re working with live musicians, and an experienced drummer knows work with
repetition so that both of you will have a great show. Some drummers even
repeat each phrase more than four times.

Listen For Signals And Transitions

Make sure to really listen to the segues the drummer makes between the various rhythms
being used- a typical drum solo has lots of variation!Once you really can hear the transitions, it
will make your dance transitions that much easier. Again, if you’re working
with recorded music, this will be a lot easier than it will be if you’ve just
jumped up onstage and are partying down with a live drummer.

Go “Organic”

Whether you’re listening to your iPod or
rehearsing with a real live person, just
have fun and improvise to the drum solo. Chances are, your body knows what to
do even if your brain is in a dither, wondering what isolations you’re going to
employ.If you just take a few passes
through the drum solo just for the hell of it, you’ll probably start to see
some natural and organic physical responses to each new pattern.

It’s also good to realize
that not everything you do needs to be a complicated string of mind-bending
technique… a simple movement or series of movements done precisely on the beat
can often be every bit as effective as a multi-layered extravaganza!

Divide And Conquer!

When you’re in the midst of
learning a new drum solo, divide it into nice, easy-to-digest bite sized
chunks.Work on each section until
you’re happy with it before you move
on to the next section. This will also help you to feel really comfortable with
each part of the drum solo, as opposed to trying to get the entire thing down
in one big piece. Run each segment until
you know it by heart, and then when you move on, the parts you worked on
previously will flow better and more naturally, they’ll seems like old friends.

Let Your Feet Do The Walking And Your Hips Do
The Talking

After I’ve done a few improvisational passes
on the new drum solo, I like to quit actually dancing to it and just walk it a
few times. I forget about anything else except my feet, and just stay really
conscious of stepping on the doum,
the Arabic word for “downbeat”. I get hyper-conscious about my weight
placement, and really feel my directional work, my turns, and things like that.
I like to make sure my feet know exactly where they’re going before I start in
on what my hips…and everything else: hips,arms, torso, head angles, etc. are
doing. Walking through the solo always helps to make me feel more grounded and in
sync with the drum sounds and different rhythms.

Silence Is Golden

Issam and I are both adamant
about acknowledging that the silences, or pauses in a drum solo are every bit
as important as the actual sounds the drum is making! Many dancers don’t
realize this, and feel as though they have to remain in constant motion.
Pausing or standing still onstage is one of the hardest things to do, but it’s
also one of the most effective.

If the drum stops, you stop.

Wrap It Up

Know your ending pose- plan
it in advance. Finishing with a bang in
a beautiful pose will make your drum solo look really polished. For recorded music, obviously you’ll know
when the end is nigh, but in a live situation, this might not always be the
case.

If you’re working with a live
drummer, watch the drummer’s body language, and make eye contact- these are two
things that should be done throughout the drum solo, but they’re crucial towards the end.The drummer will be hitting a big frenzy, and
you probably will too, but direct eye contact will allow you both to finish together. Once the audience
starts applauding, make sure to gesture towards your drummer presenting him or
her to the crowd… and then take a bow together.

#

Our BaLAdi Tour CD with fifteen tracks, including some majorly hot drum solos is
available here:

Monday, June 2, 2014

Maria Sokolova is a rising star in the world
of belly dance. Every time I watch her perform, she takes my breath away with
her precise technique, which is powerful, showy and full of pizazz, yet still
extremely Oriental, soft and subtle. Not
only that, she’s gorgeous, has terrific
stage presenceand costumes that any
belly dancer would give their right hip for! It’s no wonder she won Belly Dancer of The Universe, Belly Dancer Of The Year and was a finalist on Michelle Joyce's “Project Belly Dance: Season Two”-
causeshe’s got it all!She’s also one of the sweetest and most
humble dancers I’ve ever met, truly a joy to hang out with backstage!

Born in Moscow, Russia, Maria first became
enthralled with belly dancing while travelling in North Africa.Shenow lives in Santa Clara, California and was trained in belly dancebyher
mentor, Sandra, as well asinternational
stars like Randa Kamel, Raqia Hassan, Tito and many others, including theRussiangreats whenshe visits her
homeland. Currently, sheperforms and
teachesthroughout the San Francisco Bay
area, directs her student troupeAlmaz,
and travels internationally for workshops and shows.

Many of us dancers get nervous and flustered before we go
onstage, so Ilove to find out about
backstage ritualsfrom dancers I admire,
andhave them share their secrets here
for inspiration!

Here’show Maria preps for shows, in her own words:

“ Waiting is the thing
that can make anyone nervous, so most of the time I try to arrive late enough
that I only have time to jump into the costume and run on stage right when music
starts. Many dancers dislike that, saying it makes them feel unprepared, while
for me it's much better than to get dressed, get ready and wait, cause waiting
makes me doubt if my makeup is in place, if my skirt slit in the right place,
if extra pins are needed…or wondering if I have to step on stage with right
foot first or left?

I like to spy on the
audience I am about to perform for, so when I’m done with fixing my eye make
upand hair a hundred times,I go take a look at theperformance area while staying unnoticed.

If there are hundreds
of people in the audience I'll tell myself to get relaxed - "It's easy,
just like dancing for two tables at a restaurant!”

But if I’m really a restaurant,
if it's only two tables then I pretend it's a stadium of people to make myself
work harder. Thus, my best shows are often the ones for half empty restaurants!

Sometimes to add more
confidence before stepping on stage I try to imagine who I want to be
today….depending on what skill I need to access at the moment. I close my eyes
make a deep breath and think "I'm Tito!" and run on stage pouring all
possible stage presence; or I can think "I'm Sandra!" and flow out on
a dance floor with all sensuality; on special occasions "I'm Randa!"
when feeling ambitious, or "I'm Dina!" whenIfeeldaring… It helps, I swear!”